On one hand he popularized Christian charity, claiming that the growing wealth of the new church was contrary to the poverty that surrounded them. He wanted people to view the poor as they would view Christ on earth and help them and not be caught up in the splendor of vestments. This is one of the traditional foundations of charity found both in the east and west today.

On the other hand he ordered the destruction of the Temple of Artemis, setting the tone for the horrible anti-Human Iconoclast movement in the east and parts of Italy dominated by the Byzantines (the Iconoclasts destroyed much more pagan and Christian art than the Ottoman Turks ever did).

He also spoke out against Jewish rituals in the Christian church. He wanted to eliminate the remaining "Jewish Christians" who kept the old Jewish ways but viewed Christ as their savior. To achieve this he argued that practicing Jews were the one's similar to those who condemned Christ and therefore introduced the concept of "Blood Libel" to both the Western, Easter and Protestant Churches which morphed into the anti-semitism we still see today in our world.

When people argue both the good and the bad of the Christian church and both have good points to bring up, in many ways they could be discussing the qualities and faults of John Chrysostom.

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